The headlines were omissions of James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond but perhaps the most telling decision of Mark Hughes' first afternoon as Southampton manager came up front.
Manolo Gabbiadini was the man chosen to lead their line in blustery Wigan: a striker who scores his goals in flurries. Hughes knows he needs a trademark purple patch — the sort of which we saw when he joined from Napoli for £15million last year — if they are to remain a Premier League club.
A big call and a big show of faith for someone who has started just once this calendar year and scored one goal since October.